I Don't Wanna Lose Her
by Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh
Summary: Post V5. Jaune is dull without Ruby. Nothing will ever deny that. He didn't love Pyrrha and that guilt only tore at him further. And after Team RWBY is back together, the leader of JN-R will be like his team: broken once again.


**_This is what I hope RT will do in V6... even if unfortunately I know they won't. *Sighs* Why? Why? WHY? Oum above, I know RWBY is the result of your hard work, but you could've left your co-workers with a simple tip for their own story: "Guys, start reading fan fictions! They have great stories and great ideas!" No, you couldn't? *sighs again* Well, then I guess it's us Writers' job to try and write the best stories we can._**

 ** _I was trying to write A Rose Too Many's first chapter, but inspiration for this struck and inspiration for RtM died temporarily. Not sure what's gonna be updated next but don't despair, Khorevis is back with... dark!_**

 ** _Not really, you'll see why this story is tagged Hurt/Comfort. Yeah, both of them._**

Jaune Arc should've been happy.

Sitting on the terrace of their living quarters and staring at the mysterious and broken moon of Remnant, he knew he should've been happy. Maybe not about everything, but he should've been happy they had just defeated Salem's underlings. He should've been happy Cinder was finally dead, Oum cursed her unholy soul. He should've been happy they had gotten a Relic, and he should've been happy Raven had decided to hit the road again, this time hopefully gone for good. He should've been happy the Battle of Haven hadn't ended like the Fall of Beacon, and he should've been happy Ozpin had _finally_ decided to trust them with a bit more information about what was going on. But most of all he should've been happy that the rest of Team RWBY had finally caught up with them.

He should've been happy, but he wasn't.

No, Jaune Arc was far from happy at the moment. There were many emotions swirling in his chest, but happiness wasn't among them.

 _Anger_. After everything that had happened, the three other members of Team RWBY just seemed not to understand. He knew that losing himself in darkness wasn't good, but he couldn't help but notice how they hadn't earned their right to rejoin them. Not yet. He had thought Yang would've been different when she mentioned her anger at Blake, but instead they'd embraced her back into the team like nothing. Just like Yang had been welcomed joyfully instead of cautiously.

 _Mistrust_. Jaune was a usually open-hearted person, but not toward -WBY. They did not deserve his trust. At least not Blake nor Yang. After the Fall, Team JNPR was in tatters, but the three remaining members had stuck together like the family they were. RWBY had dismantled and partially given up. Weiss bowed her head and followed her father instead of fighting. Blake had needed time to mourn and think. Yang had merely given up, allowing her own sister to run into danger on her own. And she would've, hadn't Team JN-R showed up.

 _Jealousy_. Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren hadn't had time to mourn and think. Their hearts still shattered, they were left to pick up the pieces while trying to complete a quest they knew would kill them eventually. The three other members of RWBY had taken their sweet time, not caring if the world couldn't _afford_ to go at their pace. But most of all, they did nothing to earn it, yet they were about to take something, _someone_ , far too precious to Jaune.

 _Loneliness_. Jaune Arc knew a couple of things about loneliness. His loneliness had been different from, for example, Weiss's, but no less hurtful. He had always been alone in the crowd. Before Beacon, he had been the pampered child and the weird awkward guy of the town. The village idiot. At Beacon he had become clumsy little Vomit Boy, who couldn't get anything straight for the life of his. Just like his team, Ruby had been by his side every time he'd needed her. But now her teammates were trying to get her back with them, not caring if they'd abandoned her and if Team RNJR was now her family, and he would be alone once again.

But most of all…

 _ **Dullness**_. Ren had told him that when people lose someone they care about, they can only have three reactions until they shake themselves out of it. One was becoming a ticking bomb of anger, exploding often to try and burn some of the pain away. Another was becoming fragile and prone to crisis, needing only the smallest reminder of what'd happened to break down and cry. But the third was dullness. Living the world as if through a wall of fog. Jaune Arc couldn't afford either of the first two, so he had embraced the third. But there were times when his dullness would fade and the world would shine with colours again. Times when his family was with him. Ren, Nora… and Ruby.

But earlier that day Ruby had called for a friends meeting, saying that they would need to discuss the formation of their teams. Jaune's heart had sunk, Nora's smile had fallen and Ren's expression had tightened. But Weiss, Yang and Blake had been ecstatic to hear the news, and Ozpin had appeared satisfied that the team he had chosen as champions would come back together.

Curse them all.

Ozpin wasn't evil, mind him, but the millennia of war he'd gone through made him put efficiency before feelings… not unlike a machine. And of course the three girls would've jumped at the chance of being rewarded… for what? Having given up while _another team_ had to accompany their leader? For what?

Jaune didn't hate them. He just… couldn't find it in himself to be happy.

"Jaune, it's late." The blond knight didn't need to look back to know that Ren had approached him, silent as always. A hand fell on his shoulder as the black-haired boy stood beside him, but Jaune didn't want to go back in.

The journey to Mistral had taken them quite a bit of time, and it had opened their eyes. Ren had confided the rest of the team that after their town fell and they were really alone for the first time, they had decided to sleep together to fight off the nightmares. It was the only thing that worked. And so had done Team RNJR. At first, it had been an awkward affair, but with time it became natural. Ren and Nora on one side of the fire, he and Ruby on the other. And when Ruby had to move to a different room in Mistral to watch over her uncle, the other three had stuck together once again.

Jaune did not want to go back in. There was only one way he would be able to sleep, and she was sleeping in another room with the rest of her former team.

"You should come back in," Ren continued, his hand squeezing once. "You will only hurt yourself. `Staring at the broken moon won't fix it, it will only bring you disappointment,` was one of my father's favourite sayings. Sometimes, you can only hope for the best and allow time to give you the answers you're searching for."

"And what if the answers I get aren't the ones I wished for?" Jaune asked, turning his head to look at the other boy. "What if not fighting for the answers I wish will only give me the ones I dread?"

There was a beat of silence before Ren sat down beside him, their shoulders pressed together. "This is about Ruby, isn't it?" he asked, even if he already knew the answer. "Do you want me to call Nora?"

Jaune took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It would help, yes," he finally admitted.

Without leaving his side, Ren took out his Scroll and quickly typed a simple _`come`_ before sending the message to Nora. He knew she would understand. Pocketing the Scroll again, he turned to his friend. "You're not the only one, even if I know you're the one who's been hit the hardest," he said. "Ruby is part of our family… it won't be easy to let her go."

"I know."

Silence fell over them once again. Both of them were shivering in the freezing night air, but they both refused to leave each other outside. All around them there was silence, only broken by the occasional far-away Grimm roar. They didn't need to wait long until Nora's footsteps resounded on the stone floor of the terrace as she joined them with a tiny smile.

"Which redhead, Ruby or Pyrrha?" was the first thing she asked. Jaune felt a twinge of pain at both names, but for different reasons.

"We already talked about it. Pyrrha was a friend and part of our family, but I didn't love her," he replied tiredly. "The pain comes more from having allowed herself to get killed than from not being able to return her feelings."

"Then Ruby I guess," concluded Nora, the smile fading from her face. "You… still love her?"

"Yes, but I'm about to lose her," he corrected his friend. "And I don't want to."

"But she will still be with us, just on a different team." Nora sat down with them and leaned her head on Jaune's shoulder. "She won't distance herself from you. From any of us."

"She won't but what about her former team? What about Ozpin?"

Both his friends looked conflicted as he finally stated what was worrying him. It wasn't the crux of the matter but it was something awfully close. He shut his eyes closed and tightened his fists. They were his friends, all of them, but sometimes they were too selfish. A time had come when Jaune Arc wanted to be selfish.

Ren and Nora just looked at him, but that was enough. He knew those looks, he saw it every time he was in front of a mirror and no one of his team was with him. When they were all together, he would usually smile what Nora called his `mature` smile, small but soft and caring. When Ren was with him they would both be sober and serious, but both hopeful. When Nora was with him, or more often on his back, they would both be smiling carefree. And when Ruby was with him, they would both have pain in their eyes but also happiness and warmness, and more often than not they would be somehow embracing each other. But when he was alone?

Dullness.

Nothing. Empty looks, no matter how his mouth was twisted up, his eyes would remain dulled in pain and clouded by doubts. Fear of the future and fear for his friends. Fear of a world that seemed hellbent on killing all the ones he loved.

That was what he could see reflected in Ren's and Nora's eyes when he looked at them. They might not have been as close as he was to Ruby but she was family to them. Together they were Team RNJR, and as Jaune had once stated `It doesn't matter what we're called, _as long as we're together_.` But their unity was about to be broken once again. First by Pyrrha's death, and now by Ruby's leave.

"What about them? We all know Ozpin has his eyes on that team and he will want them back together, no matter what. He wants to make them the Four Maidens, he said it himself earlier, after we got that damn relic-thing. They are a perfect fit. Ruby for Autumn, Relic of Choice. Weiss for Winter, Relic of Creation. Blake for Spring, Relic of Knowledge. And Yang for Summer, Relic of Destruction. Do you really think he's gonna let go of his team of Maidens?" He angrily kicked a pebble before he slumped back down. Even from his seated position he could see most of Mistral, mocking him with its calmness. "And as for Weiss, Blake and Yang, they're just happy they're back without repercussions. They abandoned her because they `needed time`. Fine, you want to take your time? That's okay, but don't expect to be rewarded for that. Instead, they gave up and are going to be rewarded, while we continued to fight and we're being punished."

"Jaune, where exactly is this coming from?" asked Ren, his hand squeezing his shoulder once again. "You're not the type to just snap. What's behind this?"

"I don't want Ruby to go with them," he muttered. "With Ozpin and all his plan for Team RWBY, they're gonna distance themselves from us. To protect us, to keep secrets or even just because they will change and not be comfortable around `normal` people any more."

"You know this is not going to happen…" began Ren, but Jaune cut him off.

"It happened with Pyrrha. She was a nice and kind soul, and yet she pushed us, her family and her team, away when she most needed us. Do you really think that, if Team RWBY had to do something like Pyrrha had to, Ozpin would allow them to tell us? And so they'd have to push us away, wilt under the strain, and finally either break or do what Ozpin told them to. Ozpin may know how to fight Salem but it's clear he puts secrecy and efficiency far before feelings. I don't want to leave Ruby in such a situation." Jaune glared at the void. "That's why I'm angry. I can't be angry at Ozpin for trying to save the world by using every mean he can get his hands on. And I can't be angry at Team RWBY if they push us away because they're under extreme stress. I'm angry at myself because I can't do anything to stop this. Tomorrow Team RWBY'll go back together, Ruby will be forever gone from my side, and I can't do anything to protect her from what's to come. I saw what responsibility did to Pyrrha. She, her whole team, will break. I don't want that to happen but I can't do anything… And that angers me."

"Jaune, they won't break, they'll have us…" this time it was Nora, but she was cut off as well.

"No, they won't. Pyrrha was a member of our team and she still pushed us away, me even literally. You might think they'd have each other but that's so, so wrong. They won't be able to share their burdens with anyone and they'll crumple under it. I know for a fact that if Ruby remains in our team, we might be able to spare her that fate." He stood up and stalked over to the railing that delineated the terrace, leaning onto it as he glared at the city underneath. "Ruby and I talk a lot. We talked about more or less everything, even subjects we've rarely spoken about with anyone else. She told me about her mother even while she never talked about it with her former team. I talked about her of all my insecurities, my regrets but most of all my guilt for Pyrrha's death. We would talk about anything, but if she returns to her team she'll have to distance herself from us."

"But why?" asked Ren. "Why you don't think she'll remain close?"

"Because that's how it worked at Beacon too. I was her first friend there, she told me as much. But we started to hang out much less because they were always busy for themselves. They accepted Sun and Neptune's help with their mission yet not us, even if we were `closer` and friends." He growled as he picked up a pebble and made to throw it. Ren stopped him before he could. "If we let her go she'll remain a good friend but not as close as before. Especially because her teammates would rightfully come before others. That's why I don't want to let her go."

"It's not just this, either, right?" Nora again. She appeared beside him and grabbed the pebble from his hand, crushing it in her strong grip before dropping the pieces. "You're also angry at Weiss, Blake and Yang, aren't you?"

"Since when you are so receptive, Nora?" sighed the blond.

"Since when do I have orange hair? Two questions, same answer." She smiled briefly before concern appeared on her face. "Do you… hate them?"

Jaune couldn't bear to look at her, at either of them. The answer was no, but it wasn't a complete answer. He chose to stare at the city of Mistral instead, a city that didn't know it had just been saved by a bunch of teenagers led by a drunkard and an old man reincarnated into a little boy. The night was cold and there was no one in the streets, but some houses still had the lights on, and the city's illumination was still on. Jaune's mouth twisted down into a grimace.

"No, Nora, hate is too strong of a word." He finally replied, forcing down his dread of the future as he watched the sky. "I don't hate them. But I won't forgive them until I get explanations, and apologies. If not me, or us, at least Ruby."

"They still went out of their way to find and help us," Ren pointed out. "They all travelled from Patch, Atlas and Menagerie to rejoin us."

"They abandoned Ruby when she most needed them, when she was at her frailest, and took their time making a choice. _Then_ , and only _then_ , they set off to join us." Jaune's grip on the railing was beginning to bend, but he didn't release it. "Are you really defending them?"

The two fell silent. While the three members of Team RWBY couldn't be blamed for needing time to adjust, it was also true that Team RNJR had been forced to go on without them, even when they still needed them.

"And yet they think that just by showing up again everything'll go back to what it once was. But it won't. Our view of the world has shattered at the Fall of Beacon and nothing is like it once was, and it won't be ever again. But we never gave up, we stuck together and we faced everything together." His hand came up to wipe off some tears he hadn't even noticed were falling from his eyes. "Where were they when we had to fight the Geist? Where were they when we had to see misery and fear in the eyes of the people, and couldn't do anything to comfort them? Where were they when we had to sleep in pairs because the nightmares were too much?! Where were they when we had to fight that Tyrian psycho?! _Where were they when we had to fight the Grimm that destroyed your village?!_ "

"Taking care of their own problems," replied Nora, laying a hand on his left shoulder.

"Eh, you're right, Nora. They were taking care of their own problems." His frame shook once. "But they took care of only their problems, each on her own. We took care of our family's problems, all together. We are a _family_. They are just a _team_."

"Jaune, that's not true, they would've come sooner, had they been able to," countered the gingerhead.

The Knight let out a broken laugh. "Had they been able to? They _could_ have come sooner, they had just given up. What about us? We lost Pyrrha. We had to remain in Vale because we didn't know where to go, and I didn't want to leave you guys. We had to remain in a city that will forever be haunted by all the people who died in the Fall of Beacon." His eyes clouded over as he recalled a few names. "Team RWBY and Team SSSN were lucky to come out of there still whole. Beacon didn't fall without us trying to defend it. Before the official retreat was announced, there were already so many deads… Dew and Nebula, two of that NDGO team, died by the claws of the Grimm, and their teammates couldn't do anything about it. Three members of Team CRDL, as little as I liked them, were killed by Atlasian Paladins, and now Sky is in the psychiatric ward for Oum only knows how long, suffering from extreme PTSD and survivor's guilt. Fox and Coco died while trying to protect the medics, killed by the White Fang. Neon Katts took the fatal hit for her friend Flynt. Penny was killed with a trick and Ozpin was murdered remorselessly, even if he can reincarnate. And Pyrrha was beaten and slain by a bitch who wanted power. I don't think Team BRNZ even made it out of there at all, and that team, ABRN, lost one member and several body parts. That's why it's been called the Fall of Beacon, not the Battle of Beacon. It was a slaughter, not a fight."

Ren and Nora looked away before turning back to him. Hearing of what had happened during the Fall was painful, but it was sadly something they were used to. What was once scorching pain had now subsided into burning embers, partially thanks to the support they had given each other. It was scary to know how little those deaths affected them now. They had grown cold to them…

They had grown dull.

"Nobody gave us time. We couldn't afford it. We, you, me and Ruby, took off for a mission we know we're probably never coming back from. Ours hearts were… _are_ still in pieces, and yet we were the ones who never gave up. Them? They all gave up in their own ways. Them, the ones who should've been there for Ruby after the Fall? They left her." With a metallic whine, the railing finally gave in and broke under the strain. Jaune stared emptily at the piece of steel in his hand before dropping it. "They all still had each other. Weiss had been kidnapped by her father, but she could've written. Blake knew that her friends already _had_ a target on their backs, and that running away would only mean not being there to protect them when the time came. And Yang may have lost an arm, but she gave up and abandoned her sister, leaving her to go alone."

"And who were the ones who joined her when her team had left her? Who were the ones who, even after seeing so much death and misery in Vale, still hadn't given up? Who were the broken people who still found the strength to be there for her when she need us?" he asked rhetorically. "Was it Yang? No, she had given up already, leaving her sister alone as she mourned. Was it Weiss? No, she never even tried to escape or even to write, and yet from what she's told us her escape didn't seem so hard, she just needed to be disowned. Was it Blake? No, she was too busy running away, leaving her injured and hurting and _in need_ friends behind, egotistically thinking that without her they'd all be fine."

Jaune couldn't stand to look at the city any more, but looking at the building behind them, the one where Team RWBY was now sleeping, would be even more painful. He wiped his tears away once again and looked in the only direction he could. Skywards. Looking down was something he wouldn't do ever again, because it would mean allowing his fears and his pain to catch up with him. Team RNJR had run all the way to Mistral, and sometimes Jaune thought that it was because they knew that stopping would mean allowing everything to reach them. Team RNJR was, despite being functional, a team of broken people whose illusions and views of the world had been shattered. Looking skywards was the way he had chosen to change.

Ruby had shed her innocence and naivety, even if Jaune knew that even after all what had happened her soul was still pure and untainted by the world. Nora had changed very little, having gone through something similar once before, but she had become more serious and much less carefree, even if her energy was still there. Ren had broken out of his usual silence, starting to speak more and even joke or comment with a sassy tone very few had ever heard him use. Most of those people were dead. But Jaune had changed too. He couldn't afford the amenity of self-esteem, so he had thrown it away. He had turned into a far more mature man, even if he wasn't any more serious than before. And he'd gotten far better at combat. He used to look down often… he had chosen to start looking up instead.

" _We_ were the ones who joined her and offered her a place in our family, and a spot in our hearts. And she accepted." Jaune looked up, but as always the broken moon could not give him the answers to his doubts. "She became part of our family. She _is_ part of our family. And now it seems she's going to leave and we can do nothing about it. We can do nothing and that angers and scares me too much."

This time, he allowed the tears to form and run down his cheeks. They were warm in the cold night, but they felt like burning droplets of lava carving through his skin, hot with powerlessness and fear.

"You know what Qrow and Ozpin said," Ren reminded him. "Here we are naught but unimportant. Ruby is destined to become a great warrior because of her silver eyes, and is fated to fight with Team RWBY because they've been groomed by Ozpin himself for defeating Salem. Everyone in Beacon knew that Team RWBY was privileged, it was no secret."

"Then Destiny and Fate can go suck a dick," growled the blond boy, his Aura starting to manifest both to keep himself warm and out of anger. Jaune had never been one to believe in destiny or prophecies. There was no Chosen One… just the one who had chosen to fight. And after Destiny had fucked with him one too many, after Pyrrha had died because she believed it was her destiny, Jaune had stopped considering it altogether. "Destiny is bullshit. I can't and won't ever believe that everything that's happened so far, every person who lost their life, has been guided by some twisted entity. Nor do I believe in what Pyrrha believed, a prefixed goal you try to reach all your life. You want to know what I believe in? Choices. I believe in the choices we make, because Choice is what makes us different from the Grimm. Choice is what makes us human. I refuse to believe that the Brothers gave us the power of choice only to take it from us. That's why I'm gonna accept Ruby's decision, no matter what. She will make her own choices and I will make mine. Destiny holds no power over me… I already gave it enough."

"Even if her choices lead her away from us, from you?" asked Ren. He seemed to be about to say more, but then his eyes narrowed and he looked around as if searching for someone or something. His eyes widened slightly when he spotted his target, but his actions went unnoticed by both his companions.

"I'm not some high school stalker, Ren," Jaune laughed bitterly, sounding close to breaking down in tears once again.. "If she wants to leave my side, it'll be her choice."

"What about your mark?" countered Nora, pointing at his armour-covered chest.

Jaune's expression darkened as he brought a hand up to touch where his heart was. He knew perfectly well which mark Nora was talking about. He still hadn't shown it the last member of RNJR, but both Ren and Nora knew of it and were present when he'd done it. The mark itself was simple: just Ruby's rose symbol. But its meaning and origin weren't. He had done it before falling in love with Ruby, so initially it wasn't a sign of devotion or love. He had done it to remind himself that he wouldn't allow her to get hurt like he'd allowed Pyrrha and, ironically, he had done it to stop his obsession with training. But most of all, he had done it to remind himself of one thing.

"We all have a bullet with our name on it," he replied evenly. "This is to remind me that when hers will be coming, I'll take it for her."

Had they been Faunus, they would've heard a gasp nearby, but none of them was, so they just continued to stare at the moon.

"My mark has nothing to do with Ruby remaining or leaving us," he carried on. "Her choice will be hers, not ours. We can advise her against it but eventually we'll accept her choice no matter which one it'll be. But my choice won't be decided by anyone else than me, too, and I've decided that if by giving my life I can help even by the tiniest amount, then I'll give it. So many others gave their lives and it changed nothing. I chose to fight, and if the only way I can fight is by taking someone's bullet, then I'll gladly take it."

"Isn't this a bit extreme?" asked Ren, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No. I meant what I told that Cinder bitch." Even just mentioning her name made his Aura flare more. "`If I die buying them time, then it's worth it. They're the ones that matter.` I'm not saying I'll throw my life away… just that self-sacrifice will be on the list of possible actions from now on. Especially if Ruby is involved."

Quiet fell over them once again, but this time it wasn't meant to be interrupted. Jaune wordlessly allowed Nora to pass him a handkerchief she took out of Oum only knew where, and dried his tears like he always did. The three of them stayed silent as one by one most of the lights of Mistral were turned off, leaving only a few houses and the streets to illuminate the city. Soon, Jaune and Nora fell asleep, but Ren didn't. He eyed the shadow he had seen earlier and stood up to get them all blankets. Since they were going to go back inside, at least none of them would exhaust their Aura and catch a cold.

When he came back, the sleeping form of Ruby Rose was tightly embracing her knight, and Ren couldn't stop a small smile from reaching his face.

"It's not so easy to divide us."

/-/

Team RNJR, the three members of Team RWBY, Oscar, Qrow, Sun and Ilia all stood in the living room, cramping it quite a bit. Ruby had called for a gathering about the team formation and everyone except Nora and Jaune looked quite interested. The mentioned two members of RNJR also kept taking glances at their last member, Ren, who didn't seem fazed at all by the call. Jaune had been pleasantly surprised… scratch that, Jaune had been _elated_ to wake up with Ruby cuddling with him and the rest of their team. But that had only sweetened their last hours as a family before the blow of the separation.

He was torn from such thoughts when Ruby spoke.

"Are we all here?" she asked awkwardly, a tentative smile on her face as she looked around. Needlessly so since it was clear everyone was in the room. "Yep… W-Well, I wanted to talk about the teams. You know, since we are back together and all of that I thought we should discuss about how we'll be organized…"

"Yeah!" cheered Yang, wrapping her sister in a headlock. "Team RWBY is finally back together and ready to kick some asses!"

"While I wouldn't have put it like that, I'm happy to be back on a team as well," smiled Weiss.

"Are you really going to just forgive me?" asked Blake, a little taken aback. "I mean, I'm happy to be back with you but I ran…"

"And then saved the day by stopping a White Fang attack on Haven," Sun smirked as he put an arm around her shoulders. "I think that evens things out."

"Please, let me finish," Ruby interrupted them all, raising both hands. She looked at every single occupant of the room before taking a deep sigh. "I've thought about it. Ozpin's suggestion to reform Team RWBY and add Oscar as leader of Team ORNJ has some potential."

Three girls looked happy. A small boy whose eyes reflected an age not his own looked relieved his advice had been well-received. Two other teens clenched their fists and, for the first time in a long while, looked down at their feet, unable to keep their eyes from misting over. And finally, one boy with magenta eyes gritted his teeth as he stared at the redhead in the middle of the room.

"But."

A single word was all it took for everything to change. Three girls' smiles froze in place. A small boy frowned. Two teens looked up in surprise. And a boy with magenta eyes began to smile.

"But… I've thought about it and I've decided that I have a better solution." She smiled disarmingly at everyone, and Jaune could only smile back. "Since Qrow and Ozpin slash Oscar are basically our guides, I don't think they should be on a team. Also, we have to consider that Sun and… Ilia?" The girl nodded in silence. "…are going to come with us. So we'll need to add them on a team. Since we're eleven we won't be able to make three teams of four. So I thought of making a team of five and keep an already existing team."

"So you're gonna put Sun and Ilia on a team with Jaune, Ren and Nora?" asked Weiss before nodding approvingly. "I guess it's a solid reasoning. Oscar may be fourteen but Ozpin's age gap would make team dynamics very hard, especially during arguments. We should think of a name, though…"

"No, Weiss, Sun and Ilia are staying with you," interrupted Ruby, stepping back to be closer to her teammates. "I am staying on Team RNJR with Jaune, Ren and Nora."

Time seemed to freeze for everyone.

Jaune stared dumbly at Ruby, who just smiled brightly back at him. That… that… that wonderful young woman had just refused an ancient wizard's wish to remain with her family. He… how was he supposed to resist something like that? He did the only thing that made sense in his mind!

Too bad it was a pretty reckless one. Or maybe too good it was.

He grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her closer, his other arm going around her back and his hand losing into her hair as he tilted her head up just enough to plant a searing kiss right on her lips, her eyes shooting wide open in surprise. The room grew still and silent for a second. Then Ruby hummed and melted into the kiss, her eyes smirking instead of her mouth before closing, and opened her mouth to grant both of the access to the other's tongue. Jaune had never really thought… scratch that, he had daydreamed about how would Ruby taste Oum only knew how many times, but tasting her himself was a heady experience. She tasted… well, normal he guessed, with a hint of roses he couldn't understand if it was natural or perfume.

Then Yang proceeded to compute what had just happened. "ARC!" Her hair burst into flames and her eyes flashed red as she deployed her weapons, hellbent on punching the knight through several walls.

Ren and Nora quickly interposed themselves between the kissing couple and the angry brawler, engaging her in a fight to the death while everyone else was merely shell-shocked.

Jaune and Ruby parted and pressed their foreheads together, both panting slightly. Much to their embarrassment, a string of saliva still connected their lips. Heedless of this, Ruby smiled radiantly at him, and he found himself smiling as well. Their eyes sparkled even as, around them, chaos broke loose and Yang was sent through a wall by Maghnild. Their mouths smiled even as Ozpin fenced with Qrow to stop him from murdering the Knight. Their embrace tightened even as Sun and Ilia had to fight off Blake and Weiss to avoid them interrupting the sweet moment, both of them being suckers for such sugariness. Then Ruby closed her eyes once again, this time initiating the action, and leaned in for another kiss.

Jaune was more than happy to return it.

 ** _See? I've been kind and I've given you your sweet Lancaster moment. That will probably end very soon because of Yang and Qrow, but we can still dream, can't we? These last two kisses are why this story has the tag Comfort, lol._**

 ** _I hope you liked. I know you'll probably think I overdid on the casualties at Beacon but heed my words: a school does NOT fall just because 2 students were killed. Also, I really hope they won't break up RNJR just to put Ruby back in RWBY. It's not right. -WBY abandoned her while JN-R "took her in". She should be closer to RNJR too, given what they've lived through together._**

 ** _And of course, Lancaster! Does that even need explanation?_**

 ** _Until next time,_**

 ** _Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh_**


End file.
